The present invention relates generally to the field of horizontally-supported planar surfaces and connections in wood working where fine joinery is desired. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shelf unit that has a shelf member with at least one mortise or groove formed in a portion of the underside surface thereof, the groove being formed to receive a cooperating tenon or tongue of a shelf support member, or corbel, to form an interlocking shelf unit.
Generally, wall shelf units are sold or advertised in a retail vendor's display case that holds several assembled wall shelf units, thus requiring a significant amount of storage, stocking, or distribution space of a vendor and reducing the volume of goods that can be made available to consumers from a manufacturer. Such wall shelf units are typically sold or advertised in an already-assembled fashion. Consequently, the industry practice is to design and use a display case that holds several already-assembled wall shelf units, rather than redesign the wall shelf units to be displayed and sold in a "knocked-down" or collapsible/unassembled configuration. Thus, it is desirable to minimize the storage, stocking, or distribution space required of the vendor so that a higher volume of the wall shelf units can be distributed, thereby resulting in increased profits. For the foregoing reasons, wall shelf units should be capable of being knocked-down or readily collapsed so that they can be packaged and stacked one on top of another to optimize the distribution space allocated by a particular vendor.
The "French dovetail" and groove woodworking joint has been employed by those skilled in the art for many centuries in assembling, for example, drawer systems and wood components. For example, Parrilla, U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,393, Interconnected Picture Frames, and Fata, U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,086, Tapered Dove-Tail Joints, depict interconnections employing a variety of dovetail joints, including tapered dovetail joints. The prior art is replete with wall shelves that have been used for support surfaces and decorative purposes. Examples include the following patents.
Hartman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,048, Vertically Adjustable Wall Bracket Assembly for Mounting a Shelf, depicts a wall bracket assembly for mounting a shelf. A disadvantage of this type of groove and screw connection is that the set screws, which are screwed into the bottom side of shelf board, must be accurately mounted to the shelf board (at the same vertical height) or they will engage the shelf supporting bracket in different planes or vertical heights, thus effecting an uneven engagement between the shelf board and the shelf support bracket. Another disadvantage is that a gap can be formed between the shelf board and the shelf supporting bracket if the heads of the set screws are not in the same plane. Yet another disadvantage of this type of groove and screw connection is that the shelf board and the shelf supporting bracket can become separated or broken away at the points of contact between the set screws and the groove.
Faust, U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,527, Axially Extensible Column Construction with Upper Tubular Bearing Cap, depicts one or more vertically adjustable shelves that can be provided on an elongated support member, which is adapted to be positioned between the floor and ceiling. The tongue and groove in Faust, however, are not used in the construction of the shelf itself. Rather, the tongue and groove assist in vertically adjusting the shelf along the support member.
Ornstein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,344, Furniture Construction, depicts a shelf arrangement wherein a shelf panel (not shown) is supported by a shelf bracket that is adjustably mounted on a vertical standard for a variable height shelf panel. The shelf bracket is mounted to the vertical standard by a comparatively-complicated screw-threaded bore attachment means. A disadvantage of Ornstein is that the shelf panel is not mechanically secured to the shelf bracket; it is secured to the shelf bracket by adhesives between the shelf bracket and the shelf panel.
The present invention discloses a joint and a shelf unit utilizing the joint, with a mortise (groove or recess) formed in a portion of the flat underside surface of a shelf member, the mortise engaging or receiving a tenon formed at one end of a corbel or shelf support member to effect strong mechanical engagement between the shelf member and the shelf support member. The present invention offers a cost savings to vendors in the area of storage, stocking, or distribution space requirements while still making it consumer friendly.